419 Scam of the Day [Email Scams, Phishing, etc.]

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
327

Just seen this, and was reminded of a genuine police issue we had many years ago, where my wife’s car was reported for a parking offence on private ground in some far-flung place we’d never been to.

So I went along to the local police station, explained this, and that the car was a white audi convertible, not the red hatchback that was reported, and that we could both prove we were giving ski lessons in Engelberg on that date, and heard nothing more about it. Actually, that’s not true, I think we got a letter saying that no action would be taken or some such.

What annoyed me at the time that the police obviously had access to the records and should have seen the obvious mismatch between the car and the number reported, but they still stressed us out and made me go in to explain. Why didn’t they just dismiss it immediately?

So it’s important not to dismiss these things out of hand, although this one was obvious from the email address, I realise,.

328

The system is secure.

The problem is that the cheapskates who run the cafeteria did not give the cafeteria employee a smartphone that showed the details of who paid.
Relying on the customer to show their payment receipt is an invitation for fraud.

329

A worse example is where the crims substitute their QR code on parking payment machines. The victim scans, pays, walks away happy, then receives a parking fine in the post a couple of weeks later.

330

As any high school student will know.

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332

To think that these wise students will be running the country one day. Little wonder that the world is such a mess.

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333

That’s why i joked about shell companies. These kids are not that different to any fraudster that likes real estate investment.

334

But they are also the next generation of Bankers, Corporate executives and politicians!

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335

And how’s that different from today or even yesterday? Moneky See, Monkey Learn, Monkey Do …

Has it not pretty much always been like this?

I have no issues with kids trying to push boundaries and get into trouble. As long as they pay a consequential price for their actions and are also taught the lesson and learnings from the lesson, then kids will be kids.

336

And another.

"You’re almost out of time, so act quickly.

I’ve accessed your devices through certain websites you’ve visited. Those sites made it possible for me to get in. One of them had a special code I used, which worked perfectly. Now, I can see everything happening on your screen and even around it.

If you don’t believe me, you can stop reading right now. I won’t waste my time with you, and I’ll just release all this information about you on every social media platform and send it to everyone you know.

I’ve saved copies of your most interesting files and have the contacts you interact with most frequently. I also have access to your entire browsing history. I have all the data I need. At first, I thought of deleting everything I found on your devices and moving on. But after reviewing the sites you regularly visit, I changed my mind. I’m referring to the sites with questionable content.

Then I came up with an idea. I took screenshots of the sites you visit when you’re alone. After that, I managed to capture video footage of you using your camera in some rather private moments. /* By the way, I had to wait for the right opportunity to capture you on camera */ But it was worth the effort, and it will leave an impression on everyone you know and anyone on the Internet.

Here’s the deal: you send me money, and I’ll delete all of this data about you, and we can both forget this ever happened. I’m asking for USD 1495 in BTC.
My btc addr: 15f2puoinZr8KUDLcM9zULD7ktb6pZjk5q

You have 40 hours from now to make the payment. I’ve already explained what will happen if you don’t comply. Honestly, it’s your choice. And don’t take this personally. It’s just business. A word of advice: Don’t leave your phone or computer unattended. Seriously, think about it!

The clock is ticking…"

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337

I’ve got a few of then that actually appear to be coming from my own e-mail account - by spoofing the from field.

Made me laugh as I rarely access inappropriate sites and don’t use social media.

A quick search for “ spam from own account” will give some tips for blocking them.

338

Yeah, husband has a laugh when he gets this sort of scam. “I have all your camera stuff” - he doesn’t use the camera on his PC/laptop. :rofl:

339

I have a postit note covering mine.

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340

So are you still married?

341

Swiss e-Vignettes for the Autobahn are great - no scraping off the old one in a cold car etc.

BUT there are a number of legit-looking sites that change more than the official CHF40.-.

I found a .ch one asking CHF44 and a .com and .eu ones for foreigners charging €50 (about CHF45).

This official place is:
https://via.admin.ch/shop/dashboard

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342

Thanks for the reminder.

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343

Thanks!!! I have forgotten to buy the 2026 one

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344

Finally got one of those silly “I’ve gained access to your machine” e-mails this morning. Husband gets them fairly regularly, but this is the first one I’ve had.

"You’re nearing the end of your time allocation. Be sure to read this letter! It is very important for you. The text had to be made diffi cult to read in order to send you this mes sage.

Your time is running out swiftly. Som ething important has happ ened that I would like to tell you about. I gained access to your devices through certain websites that you visit ed. These sites allowed me to inf iltrate your system. One of them cont ained a spe cial code that I used, and it worked perf ect ly. Now I can see eve rything that happens on your screen and even around it.

I have saved copies of your most inte resting files and have the contacts you interact with most oft en. I also have access to your entire browsing histo ry. At first, I thought about dele ting ever ything I found on your devices and moving on. But after looking at the websites you regu larly visit, I changed my mind. I’m ref erring to websites with ques tio nable con tent.

Then I had an idea. While I was on your home network, I installed a back door on your cell phone so I could use your phone’s cam era. I just wanted to see what a porn lover looked like, and I expected to see a boy, but I saw you. By the way, I had to wait a long time for the right moment, but it was worth it. W ithout going into the dirty det ails, I ended up recording a 5 minute porn movie starring you. I’m sure this movie will impress all your friends and all Internet users.

In short, since you’re in a shitty situation and I need money, I’m offering you a dea l. You send me the money, I’ll delete all data about you, and we can both forget this ever happe ned. I’m asking for USD 1696 in BTC. Wallet to which the money should be sent (remove spaces from the wallet address so that the string is cont inuou s):

1DrD tD4 zD5 iNki w39g D3PM TxF JXHcwMy1V

At that moment, the countdown beg an. You have as many hours as you are years old to send the money. I think that’s enough time, and it seems fair.

You may not bel ieve me, you may say that this cannot be true, and so on. Fine, that will be your choi ce. I will not waste my time on you, but will simply publish all this ina ppr opriate content about you on all social networks and send it to all your frie nds."

Sorry chum, but I don’t have a cell phone. :upside_down_face:

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345

I guess that’s one upside of AI. No one will care anymore about a video. Scammers will need to innovate.

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346

Nooooooo, Notepad++ v8.8.9 is compromised. my favorite text editor :frowning:

From June to September 2025:

According to the analysis provided by the security experts, the attack involved infrastructure-level compromise that allowed malicious actors to intercept and redirect update traffic destined for notepad-plus-plus.org. The exact technical mechanism remains under investigation, though the compromise occurred at the hosting provider level rather than through vulnerabilities in Notepad++ code itself. Traffic from certain targeted users was selectively redirected to attacker-controlled malicious update manifests.

The incident began in June 2025. Multiple independent security researchers have assessed that the threat actor is likely a Chinese state-sponsored group, which would explain the highly selective targeting observed during the campaign.

Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers | Notepad++

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